Date: October 2018.
Trip type: Ski touring.
Location: Mt Ruapehu.
Author: Tony Gazley.
Trampers: Graeme Hearfield, Genevieve Luketina, Catherine Mills, James Goodchild, Sumudu Jayalath, Lincoln North, Tony Gazley.
On the summit plateau heading to the Te Heu Heu Ridge for one of the best runs on the mountain – directly down from the ridge into the Knoll Ridge gully.
Some of the best skiing at Ruapehu is high on the mountain in the spring time. With this in mind Graeme organised and led a ski touring trip on Labour Weekend based at the club lodge. Over the next 2½ days we skied and boarded the Mangatoetoenui, Whangaehu, Whakapapa, and Mangaturuturu Glaciers, and dropped down from Paretetaitonga, the Te Heu Heu Ridge, and the gully from the summit of Te Hue Hue, all in bluebird weather and mostly on glorious untracked spring snow.
Graeme, Genevieve, James, Lincoln and Sumudu outside the lodge at the start of Day 1.Skinning up the Whakapapa Glacier from the top of the West Ridge T-Bar.Untracked pristine snow on the first run down the Whangaehu Glacier. No people or rocks to hit if you tried.Heading to the Alpine Club Whangaehu Hut perched on the edge of an old lava flow.Lunch at the Whangaehu Hut.Relaxing after the climb back up the glacier.Genevieve heads down to the others at the top of the Mungaturuturu Glacier.Lincoln boarding on the south side of Paretetaitonga.James skiing the south side of Paretetaitonga. Just one of the cool runs on the mountain.Heading back to the lodge at the end of the day. And the next day do it all again on one or two of the other glaciers. It doesn’t get much better.
